Steamed chocolate pudding
3 tbsp good dark cocoa
1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
½ cup cold milk
2 slices stale bread (about 50g), or 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
4 tbsp melted butter
½ cup plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
Butter a 1-pint pudding bowl or several small pudding bowls, this is where the pudding will be cooked.
In a separate bowl whisk the cocoa and sugar with a dash of milk till smooth, then stir in the remaining milk, breadcrumbs, egg yolk and melted butter, beating after each addition. Sift the flour and baking soda together then fold this in. Put this batter in the pudding bowl(s) Butter a sheet of foil, fold a pleat in the middle, and secure this butter-side down with a length of string tied under the lip of the pudding bowl. If you are using several small you have to do this to each one.
Place the bowl(s) on an old saucer placed in the bottom of a large deep saucepan with a lid. Half fill the pan with water then bring to a boil; again if you are using small pudding bowls, just fill the pan with just a little water, you don’t want any water in the pudding. Then reduce the heat to a bare simmer, put the lid on, and cook for 1 1/2 hours – checking the water every 30 minutes to make sure is doesn’t boil dry.
Carefully lift the basin out of the pan, remove the foil, run a knife around the inside and turn on to a plate to serve with whipped cream.
Enjoy! Serves 4-6